Universal feed attachment for engine-lathes



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

E. A. ALPRESS.

UNIVERSAL EEED ATTACHMENT EOE ENGINE LATHES.

No. 886,177. Patented July 1'7, 1888.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

E. A. ALPRESS.

UNIVERSAL FEED ATTACHMENT FOR ENGINE LATHES.

No. 386,177. Patented July 17, 1888.

Til /U IINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ED'WARD A. ALPRESS, OF NE\V BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

UNIVERSAL FEED ATTACHMENT FOR ENGINE-LATHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,177, dated July1'7, 1888..

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. ALPRESS, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inUniversal Feed Attachments for Engine-Lathes, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in feeding mechanism forengine-lathes, and the object of my improvement is to provide simple andeffective means for feeding the tool at anydesired angle to the lengthof the lathebed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of part of alathe-bed and carriage with my universal feed applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa transverse vertical section of the same on line 10 w of Fig. 1, someof the parts being shown in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection, partly in elevation, of the main portion of my feed, the planeof section being indicated by the linear a" of Fig. 4.. Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section, partly in elevation, of the same on lineg g of Fig.3; and Fig. 5 is atransverse section, partly in elevation, of the sameon line .2 s of Fig. 4.

A designates an ordinary lathe bed, and B the lathe-carriage mountedthereon. Instead of making the nut for the screw a of the feedcarriagerigid with the lower part of the carriage, I form said nut on a slide,1), which is arranged to slide in proper ways in a line at right anglesto the ways of the lathe-bed, substantially in accordance with LettersPatent No. 46,152, dated January 31, 186.3. Ialso provide the lower partof the lathe-bed with a slotted rearward extension to better guide andsupport the rear end of the slide; but this is not essential, providedthe slide be sufficient] y rigid. At the rear of the lathe I provide afeed-shaft, c, and upon said shaft I secure the worm (Z, Figs. 2 and 5,the same being fitted to the shaft by means of a slot and spline, sothat the worm may be revolved by the shaft, and at the same time be freeto move longitudinally along the shaft in a well-known manner. I alsoarrange upon the rear of the lathe-bed two parallel bars, CC, whichserve as a sort of table to support the feed attachment and as ways forit to slide upon.

My feed attachment has alower bed or block,

D, which is fitted to the bars C C, so as to slide thereon, and isloosened or fastened in place by means of a strap, 0, and holding-screwf, or equivalent clamping mechanism, by the loosening of which theuniversal feed mechanism may be free to be moved along the bars C C, orby means of which it may be firmly fastened in any desired position tosaid bars. In the center of this lower bed, D, I arrange a verticalshaft having at its upper end a beveled gear, 1, and at its lower end aworm-gear, h, which meshes into the worm d on the feedshaft 0, and isdriven thereby. An upper bed or block, E, is pivotally mount-ed on thelower bed, D, by having a tenon which fits into a circular recess in thelower bed, D, so that the upper bed may be swivcled to any desiredposition thereon. I secure this upper bed in the adjusted position bymeans of the set-screw j. This upper bed, E, is also provided with ways76, within which I arrange a sliding feedblock, Z, which carries avertical shaft, m, squared at its upper end, and having at its lower enda wornrgear, a. The blocklis pivotally connected, by means of said shaftm, with a similar sliding block, 0, which block 0 is connected to therear end of the slide I) and moves in a slot made to receive it in therearward extension of the carriage B, said block 0 practicallyconstituting a part of the slide 1). Upon one side of the worm-gear a,and passing over the center of the beveled wheel g, is a feed'screw, p,having a pinion, q, which meshes into the gear 9. Upon the opposite sideof the wormgear a, and capable of engagement therewith, is a similarscrew, 1', set parallel thereto and serving the purpose of a stationaryrack. This screw 1' is, however, cutaway or left threadless upon oneside through the operative portion of its length, as shown in Figs. 4and 5, and provided with a handle, 8, by means of which said screw maybe set with its threads in engagement with the pinion a, or it may beturned a partial revolution, so as to bring the threadless space orcut-away portion directly opposite the teeth of the wormgcar a, so as tothrow said screw out of engagement with said worm-gear.

In using my feed attachment the screwf is loosened and thelathe-carriage and feed attachmentmovedlongitudinallyalong thelathebedinto the desired position for use. The

screw f is then tightened to fasten the lower bed, D, firmlyin place.The upper bed is then adjusted 'so as to bring the ways 7c is into anydesired angle to the ways of the lathe-bed,when it is secured inposition upon thelower bed by the set-screw j. The screw 1- is set inthe position shown, with its threads engaging the teeth of the worm-gearn. The ordinary feed for moving the lathecarriage B laterally-that is,along the ways of the lathe-bedis thrown out of gear and not used.Motion is cornmunicated to the fe'edshaf't 0 by any suitable drivingmechanism connected with the lathe-head. The tool-post and its tool areset in the desired position within the carriage B, as in otherlathes.Thefced-shaftccarriestheworm d, therebyimparting motion to the worm-gearh and geared wheel 9, which wheel, meshing into pinion q, drives thescrew 10 and the engaged worm-gear n. The screw r, serving as astationary rack, prevents the wornrwheel n from rotating about astationary axis, and thereby necessitates in the movement of said gear athe movement ofthe sliding feed-block Z, in which said wheel is mounted,along the ways k k. The sliding feed-block Z being connected with asimilar block, 0, at the rear part of the slide 1), acts as a driver andnecessitates a movement of the upper part of the tool-carriagetransversely to the lathe-bed. If the ways k are set at right angles tothe ways of the lathe bed, the tool moves directly backward withoutgiving any lateral movement to the carriage; but if the ways k k are setat an incline to the ways of the lathe bed, as shown, the connections ofthe sliding feed-block Zwith the lower part of the carriage by means ofthe slide 1), which moves in ways or guides within said lowerpart,necessitates a movement of the lathe-carriage bodily in thelongitudinal direction of the lathebed, while its upper part, whichcarries the toolpost and tool, is moved backward, thereby, as

the resultant motion, carrying the tool in a path which is parallel withthe ways 7c 70. In order to move the sliding feedblock Z quickly back tothe other end of the ways k k for setting the feed again, the screw r isturned over to bring its cut-away or threadless portion facing the teethof the worm-gear n, and a crank is applied to the squared upper end oftheshaft on which said gear is mounted, whereby the gear a can berotated to carry the sliding feedblock I back on the ways It It. In sodoing the screw 1) acts as a stationary rack and the gear a as a pinionengaging therewith and traveling with the block I.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a lathe-bed, thelathecarriage fitted to slide longitudinally on said bed, and thefeeding device herein described, the latter consisting, principally, ofthe ways 70 7c, the sliding feed-block fitted to said ways and pivotedto a slide on the lathe-carriage,

and a feed-screw set parallel to said ways k 70 for driving said blockalong said ways and thereby feeding the lathe-carriage, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose specified.

2. In a feed attachment for lathes, the combination of a lathe-bed, alathe-carriage fitted to slide longitudinally on said bed, the slide b,fitted to slide with the upper part of the lathe-carriage in a line atright angles to the main ways of said lathe-bed, the bars or ways 0 O,the lower bed or block of the feed attachment mounted on said bars orways 0 O and adapted to be adjusted and secured at the desired positionthereon, the upper bed or block of the feed attachment pivo'tallymounted on said lower bed and provided with ways It It, and the slidingfeed-block within the ways of said pivotally-mou-nted upper bed andpivoted to the slide 1) on the aforesaid lathe-carriage, substantiallyas described, and for the purpose specified.

3. In a feed attachment for lathes, the combination of the lower bed orblock adapted to be adjusted and secured in a stationary position by oneside of the lathe-bed, the beveled wheel 9, mounted within said lowerbed, the upper bed or block pivotally mounted on said lower bed andhaving ways k k, the feed-screwp, mounted within said upper bed andprovided with pinion g, which engages the wheel 9, the sliding block fortraveling on said ways It It, the worm-gear it, carried by said slidingblock, thestati'onary screw or rack 1", and mechanism for driving thewheel g, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

4. In a feed attachment for lathes, the combination ofthe upper bed orblock having ways 70 k, the feed-screw p, attached to said bed, the

sliding block for traveling on said ways, the worm-gear n, mounted onsaid sliding block, and the stationary screw or rack 1', having athreadless portion and adapted to be partially rotated to engage anddisengage its threads from said worm gear, substantially as described,and for the purpose specified.

5. In a lathe, the combination of adjustable ways 70 7c, the slidingfeed-block fitted to said ICS IIO

ways, a slide to which the sliding feed-block Z l ED\VARD A. ALPRESS.

WVitnesses:

JAMES SHEPARD, J 012m EDWARDS, Jr.

